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General FAQ

Q: Where is the URI Bookstore located?

A: The Kingston store is located on 50 Lower College Road Kingston RI
02881 on the 1st floor of the Memorial Union Building.
*Kingston Mail: PO Box 1460 Kingston, RI 02881
The Providence store is located on 80 Washington Street Providence RI
02903 in room 211 in the Shepard Building.

Q: When can I start placing my fall 2016 order?

A: Online order for the upcoming Spring semester begins August 15th.

Q: What is the deadline for ordering?

A: Orders placed after September 1st will take 1-2 business days to be processed.

Q: When can I pick up my textbooks?

A: September 2nd to the 9th from 9:00am to 4:00pm

Q: When is the last day to pick up my textbook order?

A: September 20th until 4:00 pm

Q: How long do I have to return my books for a full refund??

A: September 20th until 4:00 pm

Q: When is the last day to pick up my textbook order?

A: The refund/exchange deadline is February 6th, 2016

Q: Can I have my textbook order shipped home?

A: Yes. All customers have the option to have their order shipped home
instead of choosing store pickup. There is a flat rate of $4.99 for
shipping (+tax if it is being shipped to a location in RI). There is
NO shipping to Residence Halls but you can choose to have your order
shipped to your Union Express mailbox. Orders with invalid shipping
addresses will be changed to store pickup. All orders are shipped via
USPS Media Mail (3-7 days deliver in most cases). Please plan accordingly.

Q: Why isn't my class or instructor listed on the website?

A: If your class or instructor are not listed on our website, we may
have not received and order for that class or section yet. We suggest
you check back at a later date because we continue to receive orders
after Move-In Weekend and Box & Carry Distribution.

Q: What does "Used Preferred" and "New Preferred" mean?

A: If you choose “used preferred” the store will pack used books if they
are in stock and new books if we are currently out of used. If you
choose “new preferred” then we will pack new books if they are in stock
and used books if we are currently out of new.

Q: What is the difference between purchasing a textbook and renting a textbook??

A: Rentals are listed as 60% of the NEW price of a textbook. These books
are due back by the last day of finals. They can be marked and highlighted
in, but they cannot be damaged (water stains, large tears, missing pages,
broken binding). If a book is not returned by the due date or is damaged
or lost, the customer is responsible for the difference between the rental
price and the purchase price.

Q: Why didn't I receive all of the books I ordered?

A: Not all textbooks are in stock at the time of order fulfillment. If
a book is not in stock when we pull you order, you will not be charged
for the textbook. When we process your order, we only charge you for
what is placed in your box. You will need to visit the store in order
to purchase any materials that were unavailable at the time of order fulfillment.

Q: When will I be charged for my order?

A: Customers are not charged the total for their order until it has been
completely processed. When the order is placed, your funds will be put
on hold. The money will not actually be deducted from your account until
the order has been processed. There could be a difference between these
two amounts if the condition you ordered (new or used) was not in stock
at the time of order fulfillment.

Q: What is the return policy for textbooks?

A: the deadline for the Fall ‘16 semester is September 20th, 2016. All refunds
and exchanges must be transacted by this date. The book needs to be in the
same condition it was purchased in in order to receive a full refund. The money
will be refunded the same way it was paid for. For example, if you paid with
your credit card, we will refund the credit card, you will not receive cash back.
Digital books and access codes are non-refundable once they have been activated.
Course packets/modules cannot be returned unless you have successfully dropped the
class or if it is defective. Please have your receipt and valid student ID with you
for all refunds and exchanges.

Q: How do I return my textbooks?

A: Textbooks can be returned at our Kingston store, Providence store or
via mail if the order was placed online. Please request a return label
from webstore@etal.uri.edu for your online order.

Q: When is textbook buyback?

A: URI Bookstore has started buying back textbooks all year long! Feel
free to visit the store with your old textbooks and see if you can get
some cash. If the book is being used for the next semester, we tend to
purchase at a higher amount. If a new edition of the book has come out
or if the professor is no longer using that particular book, we tend to
buy it back for less.

Q: What are some tips for selling back textbooks?

A:

Take care of your books. Water damage, large tears, missing pages, etc. will cause your book to have no value.

Don't throw away any supplemental CD’s or DVD’s.

Don't wait too long to sell. The store can only buy a certain number of each textbook.

Newer editions will tend to be bought for a higher price than older editions.